FEL TEMP Friday! A Fallen Horseman thread.

from RIC VIII "This distinction between 'western' and 'eastern' enemies is of long standing...." pg. 39

a good article from 1958 on the FEL TEMP series-- Konrad Kraft "Die Taten der Kaiser Constans und Constantius II"

 

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HAPPY FTR FRIDAY!

Anyone have any new FEL TEMP REPARATIOs to share since June of 2021? (Or just not posted above.)

Don't feel constrained to Fallen Horsemen if you've run out of those -- share another FTR!​

I've added a few interesting Fallen Horsemen since the last "FEL TEMP Friday" (over 2 years ago).

Since my first post was about an interesting shield decoration, I'll start with another.


My most recent addition to my Fallen Horseman collection.

Besides the shield, I also like the globe-in-hand portrait with rosette-diadem (similar to Thessalonica). I previously had some small ones from Rome mint, but this is my first big one:


RIC 174. 25mm (max), 4.6g, 6h.

The same interesting "starburst" design appears on Rome mint specimens above from Doug Smith and the one from @randygeki (who has a fantastic collection of decorated shields on FH's).

In fact, the exact same shield pattern appears on most or all of Rome's “Large AE2” dies, from all the different workshops. (See, e.g., RIC 174 & RIC 176.) So it must have been a very deliberate part of the design. I wonder if a specific legion was being honored by representing its shield decoration? (Reportedly, specific legions used specific shield patterns, at least later in the 4th century. See the post above by ancientcoinhunter.)


Another addition that's much more interesting than its condition would suggest. (Need a better photo, sorry.)



That one is from the Amiens/Ambianum mint. It brings me to 14 of 15 mints that issued Fallen Horsemen:

Alexandria, Amiens, Antioch, Aquileia, Arles, Constantinople, Cyzicus, Heraclea, Lugdunum, Nicomedia, Rome, Sirmium, Siscia, and Thessalonica.​

I need only Trier (Treves/Treveri), easily the hardest to find. (AMB is 2nd hardest.)

That's for the "starter mint set." I'm not even close to the "full mint set" (one from each mint, for each ruler, in each size!) like Doug's (it looks to me like Helvetica's online collection was very close at last update, but one of the Amiens looks like Antioch): https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/fh.html


Two more new-ish (past 2 years) Fallen Horsemen from Western mints.

Arles, with a less elaborately decorated shield:



And Lugdunum (Lyons) with interesting style:

 

This thread was unknown to me. It was started before I became an ancients collector. This coin was in a lot of a dozen coins I purchased when I was strarting and learning. It was covered in a hard, mudlike substance. so I put it in distilled water for a day. Rinsing it off and giving it a gentle scrub with a cut down toothbrush revealed a pleasant surprise.
Constantius II, AE2. D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right, B behind bust / FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO. Soldier helmeted, draped and cuirassed advancing left and spearing fallen horseman with right hand, and wearing a shield on left arm. Shield on ground to right of horseman wearing a Phrygean helmet and falling forward, clutching horses neck.
Gamma in left field, R wreath Z in exergue. 22mm, 5.21gr.
RIC VIII Rome 256

 

Yes, I added one FEL TEMP REPARATIO. It was in a lot I won at CNG, ex. @gsimonel.

It didn't have a flip with the attribution, only a note of @gsimonel saying: "Rusty Romans 6/18/08 via eBay". I don't think it is rusty at all and I hope I attributed it correctly:
In RIC VIII Thessalonica, depending if it is an Æ2 (from 21 to 25 mm) or an Æ3 coin (from 17 to 20 mm), there are two different numbers for this issue: RIC VIII Thessalonica 129 for Æ2 and RIC VIII Thessalonica 123 for Æ3. Since this coin is Æ2, the RIC VIII number is 129; however, at the numismatics website there is no picture. It seems that numismatics really doesn’t follow the AEs naming rule.

Macedonia, Thessalonica, 350 AD; mint mark A/-// TSΔ; 4th officina (mark=Δ)
23 x 24 mm

Ob.: DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust to r. Letter A behind head; border of dots
Rev.: FEL TEMP REPARATIO Soldier, helmeted, draped, cuirassed, advancing left, spearing fallen horseman with r. hand and wearing shield on l. arm; shield on ground to right. Horseman, wearing a Phrygian helmet, sitting on ground to r., raising both arms. Letter A at left; in ex. TSΔ

 

"Rusty Romans" was the eBay ID of Jerome Holderman

 

Thanks for the clarification @Victor_Clark

 

My view of this design is that it was Roman politician public relations. The barbarians where getting stronger, and the Romans were getting weaker.



Centenionalis* of Constantius II, Obverse: “DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG” “Dominus Noster (“Our Lord showing the emperor to be the supreme leader”) Constantivs Pius Felix (Dutiful and wise) Augustus. Reverse: “FEL TEMP REPARATIO” Restoration of happy times “CONST” Constantinople Mint. Roman soldier stabbing a barbarian on a horse with a spear. (See illustration on following page.)

* The Centenionalis was bronze coin with a silver wash that was introduced during Constantine’s reign. (308 - 337). It went into obscurity during the reign of Arcadius (395 - 408)

I spotted this little diagram on the Internet which explained the symbolism quite well.

 

Nice examples posted above!

Very interesting! As it happens, a very similar but more stylized diagram -- same field symbol but from Alexandria mint, not Antioch, and horseman reaching upward ("FH3") not slumped forward ("FH4") -- appears in an earlier black and white version on the cover of a 35-year old ancient coin Fixed Price List in my sale catalogs library (I notice that I've forgotten to include it in my online list of FPLs & auctions):

Walker Carlton, Los Angeles, CA, FPL Winter 1987-8 (Fitzwilliam Catalogs, A-D; possibly his final list, of about 6?)

Credited there as "Drawing by Betsy Davison." (I don't know exactly who she is -- maybe some here will -- but she also wrote ancient coin and antiquities articles that appeared in various journals and newsletters in the 1960s and 1970s, including at least eleven in SAN and at least one in a Joel Malter "journal," maybe others that I'm forgetting.) There is only one lot of Fallen Horsemen inside, though (w/ 3 examples, priced $7 to 28).

 

I bought this one because of the unusual style of the helmet worn by the soldier on the reverse.




Constantius II
A.D. 351- 354
21x22mm 5.2g
D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG; pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO; Soldier spearing fallen horseman, Γ in left field.
In ex. SMKE
RIC VIII Cyzicus 92

 

I know I recently posted this in another thread but I love the example I have of this coin type.



Constantius II. 337-361 AD. Æ-2 (22mm, 5.60g). Struck 350-355 AD. DN CONSTAN-TIVS PF AVG, Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, Soldier standing left, holding shield and spearing fallen horseman; shield on ground to right; Γ // AN ( ΓI) ?. (mint of Antioch). RIC VIII, pg523, #132. Brown patina. Encrustations on Obverse and reverse. - otherwise Good VF+. VERY SHARPLY STRUCK !

 

Your officina mark is ANZ like this one.

The Antioch series produced some great looking coins....

 

I did manage to pick up these two slabs recently, both Amiens, neither identified as such by the sellers..... I bought them despite having a general dislike for slabbed ancients.
RIC VIII Amiens 46

RIC VIII Amiens 48

 

Wow those are fantastic for AMBs! (I don't know how you keep finding all the Amiens' and Trier's -- but I do love seeing them.)

Here's an ANZ that I haven't posted in this thread yet! I like this one for the detail on the horseman -- especially the face and the hair:

He has the usual braid in back but also -- I could be wrong (need more data) -- I think he may have a "nodus" on the forehead at the very top (which would identify him as Germanic, similar but not the same as a Suebian knot).


I have a couple others I suspect of having that feature, but my favorite is a Gordian III Germanic captives Tetradrachm from Alexandria on which I think both captives have the forehead nodus:


Here's my most recently added Fallen Horseman, I think:

A CONSI Constantius Gallus (5.36g) that I noticed going without a bid at Naville Auction 81. Nothing terribly unusual about it, but I didn't have this one and liked the horseman's helmet:

 

My example - ex Frank S. Robinson:

CONSTANTIUS II, AD 337-361
AE Centenionalis (23.98mm, 4.79g, 11h)
Struck AD 351-2. Syria, Antioch mint
Obverse: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Constantius II right
Reverse: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, soldier rushing left, holding shield on left arm and spearing fallen horseman whose mount has stumbled beneath him, shield on ground to right; ANZ in exergue
References: OCRE VIII 135, RCV 18171
A fine portrait, coupled with a wonderfully artistic reverse scene engraved in great detail. Sear notes that the bearded and diademed horseman on these types from Antioch "almost certainly represents the Sasanid king."​

 

Great fel temps all! I don’t believe I have posted mine here. It’s a budget example but I still really like.


Roman Empire
Constantius II
AE Centenionalis, Heraclea mint, struck ca. AD 350-355
Dia.: 22.5 mm
Wt.: 5.3 g
Obv.: DN CONSTAN-TIVS PF AVG; Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO; Γ in left field, SMH (?) in exergue; Helmeted soldier spearing fallen horseman who is reaching back. Hair in braids, no beard. Plain shields.
Ref.: RIC 82 Heraclea (?)
Purchased from Minotaur Coins

 

I have a few from Heraclea.

RIC 67

RIC 82 - This one has a lateral double strike visible in the hair. Otherwise a string strike on the obverse.

An imitative of RIC 82

RIC 90 (getting later and smaller)

 

It's very interesting how the fallen horseman looks like on the different coins.
On this coin the fallen horseman is lying face up and in a position of total surrender.

 

Some fantastic stuff all!! Nothing new for me right now. Hope you all are doing well!!!!

 

Definitely. He is even appears to reach back toward the Roman in a gesture of supplication.

Good to see you Randy!

 

One of the dealers I buy from has this one and I am trying to add it to my previous order since it has not shipped yet.